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White-Collar Immigrants on the Rise

To the anti-immigrant sentiment in the country, here’s a noteworthy fact: A new analysis of census data shows that in 14 of the country’s 25 largest metropolitan areas, more immigrants are employed in white-collar jobs than in the low-wage blue-collar work we normally associate them with.

The study indicates that immigrants in U.S. cities are evenly placed along the country’s economic ladder. The census data also show that immigrants are not dominating lower-paying jobs but are rather participating in the economy much like any other social group. –JCL

The New York Times:

After a career as a corporate executive with her name in brass on the office door, Amparo Kollman-Moore, an immigrant from Colombia, likes to drive a Jaguar and shop at Saks. “It was a good life,” she said, “a really good ride.”

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As a member of this city’s economic elite, Ms. Kollman-Moore is not unusual among immigrants who live in St. Louis. According to a new analysis of census data, more than half of the working immigrants in this metropolitan area hold higher-paying white-collar jobs — as professionals, technicians or administrators — rather than lower-paying blue-collar and service jobs.

Among American cities, St. Louis is not an exception, the data show. In 14 of the 25 largest metropolitan areas, including Boston, New York and San Francisco, more immigrants are employed in white-collar occupations than in lower-wage work like construction, manufacturing or cleaning.